An unflattering portrait of Donald Trump made by a British-born artist has been removed from the Colorado State Capitol after the president criticized the painting.
Trump blasted the painting on his Truth Social platform, claiming the portrait was ‘purposefully distorted’ and ‘truly the worst’ picture ever painted of him.
The president demanded ‘Radical Left’ Democrat Governor Jared Polis remove the artwork, which is hanging alongside portraits of ‘all the other presidents.’
It appears that the Colorado GOP has done it for him, according to a spokesperson for the State House’s Democrats.
‘Republican leadership asked for it to be taken down,’ Jared Freedman told DailyMail.com in a statement.
He also provided a letter signed by the Democrat-controlled Colorado General Assembly confirming the painting would be removed.
The portrait will not be destroyed but instead ‘stored in a secure and appropriate location, as determined by the Director of Research of Legislative Council Staff, until further notice.’
‘The Speaker and Majority Leader are focused on keeping Coloradans safe and reducing costs, not hanging portraits. If the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol, then that’s up to them,’ Freedman added, explaining why the Democrats went along with the idea.
An unflattering portrait of Donald Trump made by a British-born artist has been removed from the Colorado State Capitol after the president criticized the painting
Trump blasted the painting on his Truth Social platform, claiming the portrait was ‘purposefully distorted’ and ‘truly the worst’ picture ever painted of him
DailyMail.com has reached out to the White House, the Colorado GOP and Governor Polis for comment.
Trump posted about the portrait Sunday night on his Truth Social account.
‘Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves,’ the president wrote.
‘But the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor… was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before.’
Trump said the artist behind the portrait, Sarah Boardman, also painted Obama during his stint in the White House, and managed to do a successful job.
‘He looks wonderful, but the one on me is truly the worst,’ Trump wrote.
‘She must have lost her talent as she got older. In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one.’
Trump claimed ‘many people from Colorado have called and written to complain’ about the unflattering artwork.
‘Republican leadership asked for it to be taken down,’ Jared Freedman told DailyMail.com in a statement. He also provided a letter signed by the Democrat-controlled Colorado General Assembly confirming the painting would be removed
Trump claimed ‘many people from Colorado have called and written to complain’ about the unflattering artwork
Sarah Boardman is a British-born artist, who lives in Colorado Springs. She painted the controversial portrait of Trump in 2019
‘They are actually angry about it! I am speaking on their behalf to the Radical Left Governor, Jared Polis, who is extremely weak on Crime, in particular with respect to Tren de Aragua, which practically took over Aurora (Don’t worry, we saved it!), to take it down.
‘Jared should be ashamed of himself.’
The portrait was first unveiled in 2019 during Trump’s first stint in the White House, so it is unclear what sparked his Sunday night complaint on social media.
The artist behind the portrait was also commissioned to paint former president George W Bush in 2012.
The British-born artist, who lives in Colorado Springs, painted the controversial portrait in 2019.
She has previously painted portraits of five presidents, including one of Barack Obama that Trump claims ‘looks wonderful’.
Boardman, 63, studied art in Germany in 1985 and has built a reputation for creating historical portraits of political figures.
When she painted Trump’s portrait, she said her goal was to create an image that would look like ‘just another president on the wall.’
Trump is blaming ‘Radical Left’ Governor Jared Polis for the artwork
Trump blasted the painting on his Truth Social platform, claiming the portrait was ‘purposefully distorted’ and ‘truly the worst’ picture ever painted of him
Boardman insisted at the time that her aim was to create a ‘neutral’ representation that would stand the test of time.
‘My portrait of President Trump has been called thoughtful, non-confrontational, not angry, not happy, not tweeting. In five, 10, 15, 20 years, he will be another president on the wall who is only historical background and he needs to look neutral,’ she said.
Back when the portrait was first unveiled in August 2019, Boardman shared pictures of her work on her professional Facebook page, hailing the ‘great day.’
‘The unveiling of the 45th President in the Gallery of Presidents, Rotunda, Denver State Capitol building,’ she wrote.
‘Thank you to all the dignitaries, staff, donors and visitors who attended and made this a wonderful event! Thank You, I appreciate you all more than you know. Feeling Very Grateful.
‘Please remain respectful – this is about portraiture, not politics.’
Polis was elected as the Democrat Governor in 2019. He serves as chair of the bipartisan National Governors Association, and has even been criticized for being too accommodating of Trump’s agenda in the past.
He told Politico Democrats should be trying to work with Trump where they can, and supported his controversial appointment of Robert F. Kennedy as Health Secretary.
Polis has also tried to offer pointers to Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, encouraging Elon Musk to ‘get rid of pennies’ in order to save cash.
But Polis may have fallen foul of Trump last week when he spoke out about the detention of Colorado resident Jeanette Vizguerra.
